Gideon Sa'ar

Gideon Sa'ar
Date of birth 9 December 1966
Place of birth Tel Aviv, Israel
Knessets 16, 17, 18, 19
Faction represented in Knesset
2003–2014 Likud
Ministerial roles
2009–2013 Minister of Education
2013–2014 Minister of Internal Affairs

Gideon Sa'ar (Hebrew: גִּדְעוֹן סַעַר; born 9 December 1966) is a former Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the political party Likud between 2003 and 2014. He also held the posts of Minister of the Interior and Education Minister.

Early and personal life

Gideon Moses Zarechansky (later Sa'ar) was born in Tel Aviv. His mother, Bruriah, is of Bukharan descent, while his father, Shmuel, immigrated to Israel from Argentina in the mid-1960s, settled in Sde Boker and became the personal physician of David Ben-Gurion. Sa'ar has two siblings, a brother and a sister.[1] After serving in the Israel Defense Force, Sa'ar studied political science at Tel Aviv University and then went on to study law at the same institution. He worked as an aide to the Attorney General between 1995 and 1997, and then as an aide to the State Attorney until 1998.

In May 2013, Sa'ar married Israeli news anchor Geula Even, who is the mother of their son, David. He has two children from his first wife.[2]

Political career

He worked as a secretary to the cabinet in 1999 and again from 2001–2 after Likud's Ariel Sharon won a special election for Prime Minister. In the 2003 elections he won a seat in the Knesset on Likud's list, and was appointed Likud Parliamentary Group Chairman. He was opposed to Israel's unilateral disengagement plan, and attempted to pass a bill demanding a referendum on the subject.[3]

After retaining his seat in the 2006 elections he was reappointed Group Chairman and also became a deputy Knesset speaker.

Whilst in the Knesset, Sa'ar has proposed bills to jail employers who fire pregnant women,[4] (he chaired the Knesset Committee on the Status of Women) and to ban cosmetics testing on animals.[5]

In December 2008 Sa'ar won the Likud primaries for its list going into the 2009 elections, giving him second place on the Likud list after leader Binyamin Netanyahu.[6] He retained his seat, and was appointed Minister of Education on 31 March.[7]

In 2012, he again gained the most votes in Likud primaries, and entered the 19th Knesset.

In September 2014, Sa'ar announced that he would be resigning his post before the next election. He said he would still remain a member of the Likud.[8][9] On 17 September, he took a hiatus from politics.[10] He left the Knesset on 5 November, and was replaced by Leon Litinetski.

References

  1. ↑ In the name of Zionism, change your name, Haaretz
  2. ↑ Interior Minister Gideon Sa'ar Weds Journalist Geula Even
  3. ↑ Likud faction adopts proposal facilitating passage of budget Haaretz, 21 March 2005
  4. ↑ Bill proposes 6-month jail term for firing pregnant employees Haaretz, 22 November 2006
  5. ↑ Ministerial committee approves bill banning animal testing for cosmetics Haaretz, 28 January 2007
  6. ↑ Netanyahu 'stars' dim on Likud list, as hawks dominate primary Haaretz, 9 December 2008
  7. ↑ Netanyahu sworn in as Israel's prime minister Haaretz, 1 April 2009.
  8. ↑ Gil Hoffman, Lahav Harkov "Interior Minister Gideon Sa'ar Announces Plans to Quit Government" The Jerusalem Post, 09/17/2014
  9. ↑ Jonathan Lis "Interior Minister Gideon Sa'ar to Take 'Time-Out' From Political Life" Haaretz, Sep. 17, 2014
  10. ↑ Jonathan Lis , "Likud No. 2 to take break from cabinet and Knesset after the Jewish holidays", Haaretz, Sep. 17, 2014.

External links